The new girl next door
by MissMorganGarcia
Summary: when Bernadette's old school friend comes into town for her and Howard's wedding, she becomes infactuated by Sheldon, and living next door with Penny only makes the attraction stronger
1. Chapter 1

"Are you ready?" Bernadette asked me, looking up at me through her glasses. I nodded, not entirely sure what the big deal was.

"What's there to be ready for?" I asked. Howard smirked. I guess if they were all like him then maybe I should prepare myself.

"Trust me, brace yourself. These aren't ordinary people." I wanted to laugh at her normally cute face, but now serious look. She opened the door after I signalled that I was ready.

"Everyone, this is Bernadette's friend, Morgan." Howard went in first and introduced me. I followed behind Bernie, suddenly nervous. I was greeted by a pretty blonde girl, Penny and I had met countless times, we even went out sometimes, but we weren't close. Of course when you're constantly moving around it's hard to keep a lot of stable friends.

"Hey Morgan, I didn't know you were coming into town. How are you?" she leant forward and hugged me. Her floral perfume filled my nostrils. I had missed Penny while I was away. We might not be close but it's hard not to like Penny.

"Yeah, well when Bernie called me to say Howard had proposed I thought I had to come back for my best friend's wedding." A short guy, around Howard's height stood up, pushing his glasses back up his nose and stepping forward. He put a hand through his greasy looking dark hair and squinted as he looked up at me.

"You're staying for the wedding?" I looked sideways at Bernie, she just grinned. I shrugged.

"Yeah, of course. I wouldn't miss her wedding for the world. When we were in grade school we would plan our imaginary weddings together. Of course it was to the members of the backstreet boys." He laughed. Then all went silent, until Howard finally broke the silence.

"Oh sorry! This is Leonard," I shook Leonard's hand and he gave what I assumed was a charming look, well, charming for him anyway. Next he pointed to a taller Indian man, finally a guy who had some form of body fat on him, when I spied the wine glass in his hand I guessed where it came from. Alcohol, it's just empty calories. "Raj." he said, as he pointed to him. He stepped forward and nodded but when I said 'hi', he just looked scared and whispered something in Leonard's ear.

"He says it's nice to meet you." Leonard said, looking embarrassed. I just giggled. This was the one Bernie said could never talk to her. Next Howard pointed to a Pretty Indian girl sitting on the arm of the couch Raj was just sitting in.

"That's Priar, Raj's sister and amazingly, Leonard's girlfriend." I coughed to disguise my laugh. And waved at her. She was very pretty. In a different way to Penny. How Leonard got these gorgeous girls to go out with him, I would never know. Priar had a smart, clean cut look to her, where as Penny was more of a fashionista, with a fun and querky side.

Suddenly there was a girl with straight brown hair, glasses and strong and defined jaw and cheek bones standing in front of me. Her hand outstretched.

"I'm Amy. I'm sure, we'll be best friends in no time." I laughed as she took my hand.

"It's nice to meet you." I giggled. Penny and Bernie gave me a knowing look. Obviously she was this intense with everyone. I looked over to the seat next to where Amy had been sitting. On the last seat sat a tall, lean man with short dark hair, when I looked closely I could see although he had short hair and quite obviously wasn't gay in any sense, he took great care of his hair, it looked silkier than my own. I almost felt jealous of his hair. I noticed everyone was now looking at him. He looked up, having sensed everyone was looking at him. He stood up smiling. Knowing he was in his late twenties, I still thought he had a baby face, so polite looking and adorable. His smile, while sweet and pleasant was tense and somewhat awkward. He stepped forward and dipped his head shortly, obviously this was as far as he was going to go. I was fascinated, so I walked into the living room to stand before him. Thank god I was wearing heels today, otherwise he would have been a few inches taller than me. Even with the height boost he was still a head taller than me. I stuck my hand out to introduce myself. He took it in his, his grip was firm yet tender at the same time.

"I'm Morgan." I smiled, for the first time being grateful of the braces I had worn for my last two senior years of high school.

"I know." he said simply. "You've already been announced." I blinked a few times, confused but amused. "It's now my turn." he cleared his throat before he spoke, and I tried not to laugh. "I'm Dr. Sheldon Cooper."

"Well, It's real nice to meet you." I said, in a high pitched voice.

"Likewise." was all he said before he stopped, and returned to his pace on the couch. He picked up his bowl of what looked like some type of fried pork in rice. His attention was completely off me now. Unlike everyone else's. As I walked back up to Penny Leonard apologised for Sheldon.

"Sorry, you really have to get used to him. Once you do, he's a great guy, when he wants to be. But until then he's going to make you wan to kill yourself, or him." I smiled, and told him it wasn't a problem. To be honest, I was finding him the most interesting person, or thing I had ever laid my eyes on. Who needed to go sight seeing when they could study Sheldon cooper?

"So, you hungry?" Howard asked, moving to the coffee table which was covered with Chinese food and bowls. I nodded, realising how hungry I was. I excused myself to the bathroom first, splashing myself with cold water, and giving my appearance a once over. I looked like I had been sitting on a plane for a few hours. Great. I pulled the brush from my hand bag and ran it through my hair, I quickly went over my eyelashes with mascara, and slapped on some lip gloss.

I couldn't believe I had regretted my decision to get bangs at one point. The contrast between my almost black hair and bright blue eyes was made more prominent with the bangs, a look I was definitely starting to appreciate. I walked back into the hallway, the only seat left was right next to Sheldon, I had a feeling that was on purpose, but with no where else to sit, it's not like I had much choice.

Half way through dinner, I couldn't stand wearing my heels any longer, with a sigh of relief I slipped off my floral wedges and rubbed my aching heels. Leonard put his head in his hands, and I noticed the entire room had fallen silent. There was heavy breathing coming from Sheldon's place next to me. I looked up, to see a look of pure disgust, and I'm pretty sure, horror.

"Uh, sorry, my feet just really hurt." I felt my cheeks blushing, and self-consciously slipped my shoes back on, not wanting to drag anymore attention to myself. When Sheldon still didn't look away, I looked to Leonard for a translation.

"Sheldon, among other things, many other things, has a certain distaste for feet. Or touching them in front of him while he's eating dinner." I raised my eyebrows. My feet were clean, they didn't smell, and I only took them off for a few seconds to see if they remained unbroken. When I mentioned this to Leonard he just shrugged, agreeing that it was totally weird, but that was just how Sheldon was.

"I'm sorry, Morgan was it? Yes, but I do have a strong disliking for people who find it acceptable to touch their feet with the same hands they are using to touch their food, and put it in their mouth. You may as well just pick up your food with your feet." I giggled, thinking perhaps he was joking. Evidently, he does not kid very often. I looked at Penny, knowing her she would have done something just to be a smart ass. So I thought it would be funny for me to do the same, although I might risk Sheldon hating me and losing respect from the others, it didn't bother me too much, because it wasn't like I was going to be there for long.

Once again I slipped off the heel to my left foot, the one closest to Sheldon of course. Then, while watching the dismayed look of grim horror spread across his features I lifted my leg up, picked up a piece of chicken and almost pulled every muscle in my thigh trying to stretch it back to drop the food in my mouth. It worked though, and it was worth it, everyone laughed, Penny even applauded me. Sheldon looked like he was about to die, but I swear I could see something in his eyes, a spark of something, like he was as intrigued with me as I was with him.


	2. Chapter 2

Are you sure it's okay for me to stay here Penny? I don't want to intrude." Penny shook her head smiling as she pulled some sheets out of the cupboard.

"It's fine I swear. It's not like anyone's actually using the spare bedroom. So it's yours for as long as you here." I smiled, she put the sheets in my hand and patted my back.

"How long are you here for anyway?" I thought for a moment as I followed her into her spare room, which was right behind the kitchen, convenient for late night snacks.

"Um, well until Bernadette's wedding, I know my mother wants me to stay, she thinks there's more opportunity for a stable career here." I shrugged. She snorted, trying not to laugh. "What?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing, it's just that I've been living here for almost three years and I still haven't gotten a decent role. I remain an under paid, over worked waitress at the cheesecake factory." she slumped down, looking sorry for herself. Although I got along well with her I still felt awkward, not knowing her well enough to be able to comfort her without accidently insulting her or something. I dumped the sheets on the bed and then turned to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Penny, all good things are worth waiting for. It would be a waste of your time to just take any old acting job just because it's remotely related to the career you really want. You should keep holding out for the right job. I'm sure there's a new director out there just waiting to have their screen play bought and produced, and I bet that the main character is a funny, bubbly blonde from Nebraska." she smiled at my lame attempt to console her. She wished me good night and said to wake her up if I needed anything.

I slumped down onto the bed, sighing as my head hit the pillow, I wasn't sure if I was actually tired or just my body reacting to everyone else getting ready for bed. Either way, I decided I needed to get caught up with the time zone. I slipped into my over stretched pyjamas, walking into my bathroom which, like Penny's, was an en suite. I brushed my teeth, and splashed my face with water, my went bloodshot as I rubbed them, suddenly Sheldon popped into my head. I shook him out. What was I doing? A couple of hours ago this self obsessed genius was a complete stranger, and now I'm thinking about him? Perhaps it was just his strange conduct around everyone. The way they all just let him do the things that made him feel comfortable. It would be a lie to deny the fact that he was an interesting, if not fascinating individual . I huffed in frustration, my mother was right, come to California and you'll lose yourself in the men. Mothers, it's like she said these things knowing she would be right and I would end up cursing myself.

I trudged back into my new room and pulled back the floral covers. Sliding my legs underneath and shuffling down to find a warm spot. Thinking I wasn't tired was wrong because the second I closed my eyes, I drifted off, sleeping the first dreamless sleep I'd had in ages.

"Morgan?" I groaned, rolling over and pulling a pillow over my head. There was a series of knocks and then I heard my name again. This had to be a dream, a quick glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table next to me said it was only six-thirty in the morning.

The knocking got louder though, and my name came quicker and almost panicked. I groaned again, hauling myself out of bed, pulling a robe over me and yanked the door open, and almost giving my whiplash as my head snapped up to see the face of my sleep intruder.

"Sheldon?" he looked startled, he had flinched when I opened the door, not being a morning person didn't help, I was sure there was a scowl on my face, one that would scare even the hardest of criminals.

"Good morning Morgan!" he chirped. I brushed my birds nest hair out of my face and raised my eyebrows.

"Sheldon, it's six-thirty. What do you want?" He flinched and stepped back a few steps. I noticed his robe matched his pyjamas. My bad morning mood almost disappeared. I was certain that was the single most cutest thing I had ever seen in all my twenty - seven years.

"It's breakfast time. I need milk for my cereal." he paused, waiting for me to grasp what he was trying to tell me. I just shook my head, raising my eyebrows, telling him to go on. "We have no milk." he said blatantly.

"And? Just take some from our fridge." He sighed as if it were the most mundane thing he had ever heard.

"I already did that. " I blinked a couple times.

"Um, okay. Then go to the store?" I wasn't from Pasadena, so I couldn't be sure, but was the solution for being out of milk to go buy more really that absurd?

"That's why I'm here." he said, never taking his eyes off mine. The way he was staring so intently made me feel like he was just staring right through me. Making me feel insecure and very small with my 5'8 build in comparison to his 6'2 build.

"Because you buy it from us?" I tried guessing. He look unamused. I tried not laughing at him.

"Very funny. I need someone to drive me to the store." I looked at him like he was crazy.

"What's wrong with your car?" He gave me a condescending look. Like I was a child who had been caught out lying but didn't realise yet.

"I don't drive. You have to drive me."

"Why? What about Leonard? Or Penny?" he huffed again, I never knew a straight guy to be so dramatic.

"Because they don't drive me places anymore." I could definitely see why.

"Okay fine. Just let me get dressed." he smiled finally, like a little boy. I just wanted to pinch his cheeks.

"Oh yes of course. I'll wait out here." A little confused I closed the door and walked to my suitcase. I was going to have to unpack later today. I pulled on some jeans and a black tank top, I grabbed my black jacket on the way out the door, slipping my feet into my thongs I opened the door and walked out to see Sheldon sitting on the couch in the living room. He had obviously been back into his apartment because he was now dressed in jeans and two t-shirts. The top one looked like a green lantern shirt.

"Okay, come on. Lets just hurry up." he jumped up and headed enthusiastically towards the door and down the stairs. He looked my little green toyota up and down, giving it a smile of approval. We got in and I sat there, looking at him as he buckled up.

"Where are we going?" he clapped his hands together and rubbed them.

"just go down this road. Tip; avoid Yukeland Avenue. It's a road to hell." I smirked, but nodded. We drove in silence. Every now and then I would see him glance over at my Speedometer. The only time he would speak would be to mention something about my driving. Usually something to criticise. I just ignored him, understanding why everyone refused to drive him anywhere.

I stopped outside the super market, and was going to wait for him to go in, but he looked nervous and something told me that he didn't really venture outside his apartment very often, other than going to work.

"Do you want me to come in with you? I'm sure there are a couple things I could pick up as well." he nodded gratefully. I was starting to feel like he really was a defenceless little child. Everything about him seemed to say so. His face, his demeanour, the fact that he wouldn't do certain things by himself. Something that I knew would annoy me eventually but for now, I found very adorable and some what charming.

I locked the car and followed him into the store, where I picked up a basket and started strolling up random isles. Sheldon ran up behind me, asking me questions about what food I wanted and what I usually ate on what days, he asked about my family history. I wasn't sure why he was doing it but I enjoyed answering his questions, thinking that it would only benefit me later for complying with him.

"What do you do for work?" he finally asked me as I looked at breakfast cereals, then at the ones in my basket in dismay. Sheldon had picked all the high fibre ones. I didn't look forward to breakfast, that was for sure.

"What do you do?" he smiled, like he had been hoping I would ask him that all along.

"I'm a physicist." I raised my eyebrows, showing how impressed I was.

"Wow, pretty cool. My twin brother Noah is a physicist." now it was his turn to raise his eyebrows. Of course they went straight back down again when I added, "experimental, like Leonard."

"So what do you do then?" I smirked to myself. Clearly he was no longer impressed by my brother's line of work.

"I'm a journalist."

"Interesting. What type, television or text?"

"Text."

"What's your field?"

"Uh, lately I've been getting into the bridal side of the magazines. That's why Bernie was so adamant that I get here before the wedding so I could help her out."

"Fascinating." he looked up, into what I assumed to be thin air.

"So do I pass your little interrogation?" he looked down at me slyly, trying no to smile. We had walked into the coffee isle, I picked out a jar and looked at the back of it while Sheldon started rambling again.

"Are you going to work here?" I absent mindly answered as I put that jar of coffee back and picked out another.

"I don't know. Maybe. Why?" happy with my coffee selection I placed it in the basket. The next thing was chocolate, then when we were done Sheldon would be happy to go get the milk, because it was wrong to get it any time before you were leaving.

"Well, do you plan on staying for an extended period of time?"

"I don't know. Possibly, why does it matter?" he just shrugged, asking if he could put a packet of lollies in the basket as well. I nodded and he ran to grab some red liquorish ropes. Finally we could go get the milk and go home. Unfortunately I had been awake long enough to not be able to fall asleep again. I took his carton of milk and put it with the rest of my things, offering to pay for him. He smiled thanking me, then in return invited me to dinner tonight, even though we both knew I would be there with Penny anyway, but it's the thought that counts.

"So where are you from?" I asked as we walked back to the car, he helped me load the shopping into the trunk of the car.

"Houston, in Texas. Why?"

"I thought I could hear an accent. I'm from Texas."

"Mmm, I know." I pulled my brows down in confusion.

"Really? How?"

"Same way you could tell. The accent." I jumped in the car and turned up the heat. It was freezing outside this time in the morning.

"What part of you from?"

"Dallas. " he nodded, hopefully I was earning brownie points. "So why did you leave?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Why do you think? By the age of fourteen I had graduated from college and I was already tired of being intellectually superior to all those illiterate religious followers." I nodded, understanding. My entire family were religious, while I would say grace at dinner and go to church with them I was not at all religious. I could tell by his tone, Sheldon shared my thoughts on the matter.

"Religion. It's complete hokum." I smiled, anything he said was amusing, I was finding it hard to actually take him seriously.

When we finally got home he helped me carry up the shopping to Penny's apartment. He walked in behind me and placed the bags on the kitchen counter. Penny had obviously already left for the day, her door was wide open and her work clothes were no longer hanging over the back of the couch.

"Do you wanna stay for breakfast?" He smiled.

"If you offer me a hot beverage." I just blinked a couple times, once again trying not to laugh.

"Coffee?" he shook his head.

"I don't drink coffee. I'll have tea." I nodded, pulling out some tea bags and placing one in a mug for him, then found a bowl and put it on the bench for him to pour some cereal into. I gave him his tea and finished making my coffee, I had waited too long for this, I really should have had it before I left the apartment. It was not safe for me to leave in the morning without my dosage of coffee.

"So Sheldon. What's the deal with you and your friend Amy?" he looked startled at my question. "You looked really cosy last night at dinner."

"I can assure you that Amy Farrah Fowler and I have a relationship that is strictly of the mind. She Is not, contraire to popular belief, my girlfriend." I shovelled a spoonful of the disgusting cereal into my mouth. I tried not to gag too much.

"how do you eat this?"

"It's good." I looked at him momentarily, concerned for his sanity. Then I remembered, I was looking at Sheldon Cooper after all. "You said something about a twin brother?" I nodded, afraid if I opened my mouth I spit the food out everywhere.

"Interesting."

"Why?"

"I also have a twin, although I think I would have much preferred another brother." He looked down at his cereal with distaste. I could empathise with him there. This cereal was pretty gross.

"So you have a twin sister?" He rolled his eyes as he looked up at me.

"Obviously, since I wouldn't want a brother instead if I had one in the first place would i?"

"Clearly not. What's she like?"

"Intolerable. Illiterate and uneducated." I smirked.

"I could say the same for my brother. He was always in and out of trouble. Constantly beating kids up at school." he nodded.

"My sister used to beat me up sometimes. She used to tell me to close my eyes because she had a surprise, then she would hit me." he looked down into his bowl of cereal.

"Aw, Sheldon, that's so sad."

"I know. That's why I don't like her." this time I laughed. He didn't say anything more, I could tell he wasn't one for small talk, I had pretty much been forcing words out of him. But so far, we were both twins from southern parts of Texas, maybe we could end up being friends… maybe we could be something more.


	3. Chapter 3

Are you sure it's okay for me to stay here Penny? I don't want to intrude." Penny shook her head smiling as she pulled some sheets out of the cupboard.

"It's fine I swear. It's not like anyone's actually using the spare bedroom. So it's yours for as long as you here." I smiled, she put the sheets in my hand and patted my back.

"How long are you here for anyway?" I thought for a moment as I followed her into her spare room, which was right behind the kitchen, convenient for late night snacks.

"Um, well until Bernadette's wedding, I know my mother wants me to stay, she thinks there's more opportunity for a stable career here." I shrugged. She snorted, trying not to laugh. "What?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing, it's just that I've been living here for almost three years and I still haven't gotten a decent role. I remain an under paid, over worked waitress at the cheesecake factory." she slumped down, looking sorry for herself. Although I got along well with her I still felt awkward, not knowing her well enough to be able to comfort her without accidently insulting her or something. I dumped the sheets on the bed and then turned to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Penny, all good things are worth waiting for. It would be a waste of your time to just take any old acting job just because it's remotely related to the career you really want. You should keep holding out for the right job. I'm sure there's a new director out there just waiting to have their screen play bought and produced, and I bet that the main character is a funny, bubbly blonde from Nebraska." she smiled at my lame attempt to console her. She wished me good night and said to wake her up if I needed anything.

I slumped down onto the bed, sighing as my head hit the pillow, I wasn't sure if I was actually tired or just my body reacting to everyone else getting ready for bed. Either way, I decided I needed to get caught up with the time zone. I slipped into my over stretched pyjamas, walking into my bathroom which, like Penny's, was an en suite. I brushed my teeth, and splashed my face with water, my went bloodshot as I rubbed them, suddenly Sheldon popped into my head. I shook him out. What was I doing? A couple of hours ago this self obsessed genius was a complete stranger, and now I'm thinking about him? Perhaps it was just his strange conduct around everyone. The way they all just let him do the things that made him feel comfortable. It would be a lie to deny the fact that he was an interesting, if not fascinating individual . I huffed in frustration, my mother was right, come to California and you'll lose yourself in the men. Mothers, it's like she said these things knowing she would be right and I would end up cursing myself.

I trudged back into my new room and pulled back the floral covers. Sliding my legs underneath and shuffling down to find a warm spot. Thinking I wasn't tired was wrong because the second I closed my eyes, I drifted off, sleeping the first dreamless sleep I'd had in ages.

"Morgan?" I groaned, rolling over and pulling a pillow over my head. There was a series of knocks and then I heard my name again. This had to be a dream, a quick glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table next to me said it was only six-thirty in the morning.

The knocking got louder though, and my name came quicker and almost panicked. I groaned again, hauling myself out of bed, pulling a robe over me and yanked the door open, and almost giving my whiplash as my head snapped up to see the face of my sleep intruder.

"Sheldon?" he looked startled, he had flinched when I opened the door, not being a morning person didn't help, I was sure there was a scowl on my face, one that would scare even the hardest of criminals.

"Good morning Morgan!" he chirped. I brushed my birds nest hair out of my face and raised my eyebrows.

"Sheldon, it's six-thirty. What do you want?" He flinched and stepped back a few steps. I noticed his robe matched his pyjamas. My bad morning mood almost disappeared. I was certain that was the single most cutest thing I had ever seen in all my twenty - seven years.

"It's breakfast time. I need milk for my cereal." he paused, waiting for me to grasp what he was trying to tell me. I just shook my head, raising my eyebrows, telling him to go on. "We have no milk." he said blatantly.

"And? Just take some from our fridge." He sighed as if it were the most mundane thing he had ever heard.

"I already did that. " I blinked a couple times.

"Um, okay. Then go to the store?" I wasn't from Pasadena, so I couldn't be sure, but was the solution for being out of milk to go buy more really that absurd?

"That's why I'm here." he said, never taking his eyes off mine. The way he was staring so intently made me feel like he was just staring right through me. Making me feel insecure and very small with my 5'8 build in comparison to his 6'2 build.

"Because you buy it from us?" I tried guessing. He look unamused. I tried not laughing at him.

"Very funny. I need someone to drive me to the store." I looked at him like he was crazy.

"What's wrong with your car?" He gave me a condescending look. Like I was a child who had been caught out lying but didn't realise yet.

"I don't drive. You have to drive me."

"Why? What about Leonard? Or Penny?" he huffed again, I never knew a straight guy to be so dramatic.

"Because they don't drive me places anymore." I could definitely see why.

"Okay fine. Just let me get dressed." he smiled finally, like a little boy. I just wanted to pinch his cheeks.

"Oh yes of course. I'll wait out here." A little confused I closed the door and walked to my suitcase. I was going to have to unpack later today. I pulled on some jeans and a black tank top, I grabbed my black jacket on the way out the door, slipping my feet into my thongs I opened the door and walked out to see Sheldon sitting on the couch in the living room. He had obviously been back into his apartment because he was now dressed in jeans and two t-shirts. The top one looked like a green lantern shirt.

"Okay, come on. Lets just hurry up." he jumped up and headed enthusiastically towards the door and down the stairs. He looked my little green toyota up and down, giving it a smile of approval. We got in and I sat there, looking at him as he buckled up.

"Where are we going?" he clapped his hands together and rubbed them.

"just go down this road. Tip; avoid Yukeland Avenue. It's a road to hell." I smirked, but nodded. We drove in silence. Every now and then I would see him glance over at my Speedometer. The only time he would speak would be to mention something about my driving. Usually something to criticise. I just ignored him, understanding why everyone refused to drive him anywhere.

I stopped outside the super market, and was going to wait for him to go in, but he looked nervous and something told me that he didn't really venture outside his apartment very often, other than going to work.

"Do you want me to come in with you? I'm sure there are a couple things I could pick up as well." he nodded gratefully. I was starting to feel like he really was a defenceless little child. Everything about him seemed to say so. His face, his demeanour, the fact that he wouldn't do certain things by himself. Something that I knew would annoy me eventually but for now, I found very adorable and some what charming.

I locked the car and followed him into the store, where I picked up a basket and started strolling up random isles. Sheldon ran up behind me, asking me questions about what food I wanted and what I usually ate on what days, he asked about my family history. I wasn't sure why he was doing it but I enjoyed answering his questions, thinking that it would only benefit me later for complying with him.

"What do you do for work?" he finally asked me as I looked at breakfast cereals, then at the ones in my basket in dismay. Sheldon had picked all the high fibre ones. I didn't look forward to breakfast, that was for sure.

"What do you do?" he smiled, like he had been hoping I would ask him that all along.

"I'm a physicist." I raised my eyebrows, showing how impressed I was.

"Wow, pretty cool. My twin brother Noah is a physicist." now it was his turn to raise his eyebrows. Of course they went straight back down again when I added, "experimental, like Leonard."

"So what do you do then?" I smirked to myself. Clearly he was no longer impressed by my brother's line of work.

"I'm a journalist."

"Interesting. What type, television or text?"

"Text."

"What's your field?"

"Uh, lately I've been getting into the bridal side of the magazines. That's why Bernie was so adamant that I get here before the wedding so I could help her out."

"Fascinating." he looked up, into what I assumed to be thin air.

"So do I pass your little interrogation?" he looked down at me slyly, trying no to smile. We had walked into the coffee isle, I picked out a jar and looked at the back of it while Sheldon started rambling again.

"Are you going to work here?" I absent mindly answered as I put that jar of coffee back and picked out another.

"I don't know. Maybe. Why?" happy with my coffee selection I placed it in the basket. The next thing was chocolate, then when we were done Sheldon would be happy to go get the milk, because it was wrong to get it any time before you were leaving.

"Well, do you plan on staying for an extended period of time?"

"I don't know. Possibly, why does it matter?" he just shrugged, asking if he could put a packet of lollies in the basket as well. I nodded and he ran to grab some red liquorish ropes. Finally we could go get the milk and go home. Unfortunately I had been awake long enough to not be able to fall asleep again. I took his carton of milk and put it with the rest of my things, offering to pay for him. He smiled thanking me, then in return invited me to dinner tonight, even though we both knew I would be there with Penny anyway, but it's the thought that counts.

"So where are you from?" I asked as we walked back to the car, he helped me load the shopping into the trunk of the car.

"Houston, in Texas. Why?"

"I thought I could hear an accent. I'm from Texas."

"Mmm, I know." I pulled my brows down in confusion.

"Really? How?"

"Same way you could tell. The accent." I jumped in the car and turned up the heat. It was freezing outside this time in the morning.

"What part of you from?"

"Dallas. " he nodded, hopefully I was earning brownie points. "So why did you leave?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Why do you think? By the age of fourteen I had graduated from college and I was already tired of being intellectually superior to all those illiterate religious followers." I nodded, understanding. My entire family were religious, while I would say grace at dinner and go to church with them I was not at all religious. I could tell by his tone, Sheldon shared my thoughts on the matter.

"Religion. It's complete hokum." I smiled, anything he said was amusing, I was finding it hard to actually take him seriously.

When we finally got home he helped me carry up the shopping to Penny's apartment. He walked in behind me and placed the bags on the kitchen counter. Penny had obviously already left for the day, her door was wide open and her work clothes were no longer hanging over the back of the couch.

"Do you wanna stay for breakfast?" He smiled.

"If you offer me a hot beverage." I just blinked a couple times, once again trying not to laugh.

"Coffee?" he shook his head.

"I don't drink coffee. I'll have tea." I nodded, pulling out some tea bags and placing one in a mug for him, then found a bowl and put it on the bench for him to pour some cereal into. I gave him his tea and finished making my coffee, I had waited too long for this, I really should have had it before I left the apartment. It was not safe for me to leave in the morning without my dosage of coffee.

"So Sheldon. What's the deal with you and your friend Amy?" he looked startled at my question. "You looked really cosy last night at dinner."

"I can assure you that Amy Farrah Fowler and I have a relationship that is strictly of the mind. She Is not, contraire to popular belief, my girlfriend." I shovelled a spoonful of the disgusting cereal into my mouth. I tried not to gag too much.

"how do you eat this?"

"It's good." I looked at him momentarily, concerned for his sanity. Then I remembered, I was looking at Sheldon Cooper after all. "You said something about a twin brother?" I nodded, afraid if I opened my mouth I spit the food out everywhere.

"Interesting."

"Why?"

"I also have a twin, although I think I would have much preferred another brother." He looked down at his cereal with distaste. I could empathise with him there. This cereal was pretty gross.

"So you have a twin sister?" He rolled his eyes as he looked up at me.

"Obviously, since I wouldn't want a brother instead if I had one in the first place would i?"

"Clearly not. What's she like?"

"Intolerable. Illiterate and uneducated." I smirked.

"I could say the same for my brother. He was always in and out of trouble. Constantly beating kids up at school." he nodded.

"My sister used to beat me up sometimes. She used to tell me to close my eyes because she had a surprise, then she would hit me." he looked down into his bowl of cereal.

"Aw, Sheldon, that's so sad."

"I know. That's why I don't like her." this time I laughed. He didn't say anything more, I could tell he wasn't one for small talk, I had pretty much been forcing words out of him. But so far, we were both twins from southern parts of Texas, maybe we could end up being friends… maybe we could be something more.


	4. Chapter 4

It felt weird walking into Leonard and Sheldon's apartment knowing it was only going to be me and Sheldon, I felt like I would have to explain myself to anyone if they came in or found it strange, as if we were sneaking around, which would be ridiculous, being that we're both adults and can do whatever we want and not have to worry about involving anyone else in it.

Not that it helped with the butterflies that were going insane in the pit of my stomach, but one has to stay hopeful.

"Oh hey guys, what are you up to?" instantly panic stricken I spun around to face Leonard, trying to think up some reason as to why I was there when no one else was, well except for Sheldon of course. Sheldon answered before I had a chance, though, obviously not feeling there was any need to feel secretive about what we were doing, not that we needed to, it was only dinner after all.

It wasn't a date.

"Oh hello Leonard." Sheldon responded merrily. "Morgan and I were just about to have dinner." he held up his bag of Thai food like it was a Nobel prize. Leonard looked at me for a moment, clearly puzzled as to why anyone would willingly have dinner with Sheldon.

"Oh, well that's, er, nice?" he said, not quite sure if it actually was. I nodded, sitting in Leonard's usual seat next to the couch.

"Are you still eating with Priar?" I asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

"Yeah I am. Wait, how did you know I was eating with Priar?" he asked, realising he hadn't mentioned it to me before. I shrugged pointing to Sheldon. Leonard turned on Sheldon, who only looked back with mere curiosity as to what he had done wrong.

"I'm sorry I was unaware that your dinner plans with Priar were supposed to private. I'll keep that in mind for future dinner plans." Leonard just shook his head heading for the door, Sheldon stopped him though when he had a sudden thought.

"Uh, just so we're clear. Does this agreement of Privacy account just for Priar of does it include everyone?" Leonard huffed throwing his arms in the air as he said exasperatedly,

"Just forget it Sheldon. It doesn't even matter. Have a nice evening you two." he added onto the end, giving me a tight forced smile. I was just trying not to laugh at them.

"Well if it didn't matter then why would you bring it up? My Thai food is getting cold, I could been eating by now if you hadn't brought something up that wasn't important." Leonard stood by the door, dumb founded, before throwing his hands in the air and walking out, almost slamming the door as he closed it. Sheldon came over with my food and sat it on the coffee table in front of me, thankfully he did turn the TV on, which was good because as I predicted we ate in silence. I struggled with the chopsticks trying to balance my food on the end of the stick, I settled with just stabbing my pork with them. Sheldon sighed when he looked over and saw my violent actions. He got up without saying anything and walked into the kitchen, I heard him going through draws, I assumed through cutlery draws as I heard a bunch a clinking. He returned with a fork and placed it on the table in front of me.

I felt myself blushing as I leant forward to pick up the fork, I envied how he handled his chopsticks with such expertise, he didn't drop any food onto the floor or himself, he didn't resort to stabbing his food or just tipping the box up and letting the rice fall into his mouth, which would have been my next move. He must have felt me staring because he suddenly put his food down and looked over at me expectantly.

"Can I help you with anything?" I shook my head at first shoving pork into my mouth before I opened it again and made a fool of myself. He nodded, a small pleased smile on his face, but just as he was about to put more food into his mouth I dropped my fork onto the table and cleared my throat. He grimaced, obviously knowing that I was about to start talking again.

"Can you teach me how to use a fork?" he raised his eyebrows, trying to see If I as kidding. He didn't seem too pleased anymore when he saw that I wasn't just going to let him eat in peace.

"Really Morgan? You want me to teach you now?"

"Well, I cant think of a better time than when we're actually using them, and there's no time like the present right?" I said, trying to sound like him so he couldn't argue with me.

"I suppose you're right." I smiled triumphantly, he squinted, I assumed this to be his 'evil' glare. Again, I found myself trying not to laugh. He moved from where he was sitting and came over to me squatting in the space between the two couches. He picked up my chopsticks and placed them in my hands and then picked his up.

"Now, pinch the ends here," he said, demonstrating, then sighing in disappointment when he looked over to see that I hadn't caught on straight away. "No, like this, see. Yes, as if you were holding a pen." I pulled my eyebrows down. I had never held a pen like this. I decided to make some fun out of this, mainly for me and annoy him.

"But I don't hold a pen like this. This is how I hold my pen." and I proceeded to switch fingers and only aggravate him.

"When would you hold a pen like that?" he asked in dismay, moving back to his seat. I snorted, getting up and rummaging through his desk until I found a pen. I held it up and smirked.

"Right now." he opened his mouth but surprisingly, closed it. I was almost stunned. Sheldon Cooper actually stopped himself from saying something? Sheldon Cooper was possibly lost for words, I hadn't even known him for a whole week yet and even I knew he could never shut himself up.

That was about when I decided I wasn't hungry anymore, I thought I would see what else Sheldon Cooper was capable of doing which he had never shown anyone else, or at least me yet.

"You know, I think I'm sick of Thai food now." he looked over at me, puzzled.

"But it's Thai food night. What other foods could you have except for Thai food? I'll tell you what foods. None." I rolled my eyes.

"Sheldon I meant something more along the lines of, what do you do for fun?" realisation clicked and he nodded to show he understood now.

"Oh, well in that case. Usually Leonard and I play Halo." I was so willing to see what Sheldon was like when he wasn't being, well, Sheldon that I actually agreed.

"Okay then, lets play Halo." he shook his head though, still eating his food and watching the TV, he was barely paying attention to me now.

"We cant. We only play Halo on Wednesdays. You're welcome to join us, but we cant play today." I huffed.

"Well, what else do you do?" he just looked at me, unsure what else I wanted from this discussion. Apparently geniuses could still be idiots then. That was good to know. He went back to the TV, so I looked around for something, anything that we could do that didn't involve sitting here and doing nothing. My chopsticks routine hadn't worked, that had worked on so many occasions, but usually when I was on a date. And I never actually learnt how to use them, because we ended up having sex. Finally something caught my eye. I jumped up when I saw it. They had that guitar hero game. I loved it, I had only played a couple times with my brother and we were drunk but I was sure it would be fun when I was sober.

"Sheldon!" I squealed. A little too loudly because he jumped almost a mile and threw his food in the air, which landed over the two of us. "Ew." I mumbled quietly, he still heard me and gave me a stern look. Like he was my father or something. After I had helped him clean everything up, he finally turned around and looked at me, giving me the full attention I had wanted the whole time but wasn't sure I wanted anymore now that I had it.

"What on Earth was so important it caused you to force me to discard my dinner?" I shrunk back so he wasn't so close and intimidating with his height. He raised his brows and crossed his arms across his chest impatiently.

"Well, er, I was wondering if maybe you'd want to play Guitar Hero?" he dropped his arms, looking more irritated than when he first lost his food.

"Morgan, I would certainly think not." he looked at his watch, then back to me. "It's almost nine thirty, people would not appreciate the noise." I rolled my eyes. This had the potential to be very easy to get around.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. Hey, uh, do you want a drink? I'll make you a special one to make up for making you spilling your food." he thought for a moment.

"It's not alcoholic is it? I don't drink alcohol." I looked straight into his eyes, and lied.

"Of course not." I gave him an angelic grin, and he smiled nodding. Waiting for him to take his seat again before I went into the cupboards looking for the alcohol. I had seen Leonard take a bottle of something out before he left tonight. I knew they had to have it. No one has a house with a no alcohol. It just doesn't work.

I smiled when I finally found it, I knew it. I thought to myself. Even in the house or apartment of Sheldon Cooper there was alcohol. I found the one I needed, then decided against it. A simple drop of vodka in a glass soda, and he'll be none the wiser. I hid behind the bench as I poured, luckily there was no taste in drink, but I could tell there was more than soda in there. I questioned whether it was bad or not to spike someone's drink, I thought it would fine as I wasn't planning on taking him into my room and jumping his unconscious bones, I just needed him a little drunk so he would be fun and carefree and see if the Sheldon Cooper that everyone else saw was real or just a pretence.

"Oh thank you." he smiled warmly when I handed his drink to him. I returned the smile and sat down with my drink, which was just a little stronger than his. I didn't want to run the risk of this game not being as fun when you're sober.

I didn't have to wait long before I knew it had hit him. Suddenly he stood up, not knowing what he wanted so he sat back down, he looked terribly confused.

"Sheldon, are you okay?" he looked over to me as if he was just noticing that I was here.

"I drank soda that tasted funny." I nodded, yep, it was definitely time.

"Oh yeah, I think I accidently spilt some of my special drink into yours, I was hoping you wouldn't notice. Is there anything I can do to make it better?" he shook his head, looking like he wanted to lie down. Well, it was now or never. At least if he said no again I could put him to bed and just leave.

"Well, maybe if you did something to take your mind off of it, you wont pay attention to it anymore." he nodded eagerly, I did feel bad for spiking his drink, but it wasn't a lot and he was still conscious. He would thank me for it someday.

"Guitar Hero…?" He paused momentarily, I held my breath waiting for his answer, but he smiled and jumped up, looking more excited than I'd seen him in the few days I had known him. I jumped up with him, sharing his enthusiasm. He plugged everything in, changing the channels and put the disk in, I just stood behind him, waiting for him to say we were ready to go. When he did, I stopped. I didn't know anything else except singing. My brother always played the Guitar and he friends would play the drums or whatever else was left over.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking worried.

"I don't know how to play the Guitar bit…" he thought for a moment, handing me the microphone and the stand. At first we were a bit, well, we sounded like drunks, even though our drinks weren't that strong, it's not like we had food to absorb it. I stopped half way through the second song. Neither of us was feeling it yet. It was time for my extra special drink, which was the same as the first but stronger and with a tiny splash of tequila. Again, I didn't let him see me pouring the drinks. I handed it back to him and he threw the entire drink back straight away. My jaw dropped, that was impressive but I was a little worried that he couldn't hold his drinks. I shrugged after he told me to hurry up and took a swig from mine. I went through the list of songs until I found the one I wanted. Shania Twain's 'I feel like a woman'. Sheldon had already ditched the Guitar and groaned when he saw the song, apparently he had had enough of that song the morning Penny had woken him singing it and making French toast on what was supposed to be oatmeal day. I settled the argument by telling him he was crazy for having allotted days for food. Then I played the song and to my surprise he grabbed the microphone off me and started singing when the chorus came on. I was right after all, he was fun, you know, when he wasn't being himself. Our faces were only inches apart while we were singing, I could feel his breath on my face, I found myself staring at him the entire time, if he noticed he didn't let on, so I didn't stop, I couldn't stop myself either way.

I found myself refilling our drinks a few times throughout the night, I stopped hiding the drinks, I just mixed them right in front of him, not that he seemed to care at this point in time. He was more far gone than me. The drinks started getting the stronger and stronger until the soda was the only thing that was getting splashed in, everything else was as strong as I could get it without wanting to throw it straight back up. We had gotten sick of playing Guitar Hero after about the fourth round of drinks, I found one of the few music CDs in the apartment and put It on as loud as I dared, I grabbed Sheldon's hands and wrapped them around my waist, at first he was a little stiff, not sure how to move, but when he saw that I wasn't dancing like a professional, or just a normal person with rhythm, he got looser and started moving with me. I put my hands on either side of his waist and pulled him as close to me as possible, we were literally standing on top of each other now, not that I cared. It's what I wanted. I entwined my fingers In his short silky hair, curling until it knotted in my fists.

We weren't dancing for long before we were out of breath and sweating, I started feeling woozy and unsteady on my feet, I worried about Sheldon, seeing as he never drank, he could in danger of throwing up his organs. He had slumped onto the couch, his neck was red but his face looked pale and whiter than usual, enough for me to turn the music off and pull him off the couch. I put one of his arms over my shoulder so I could support him and walk him to his bedroom. I pulled back his sheets and helped him sit down. When I turned to leave he let out a little whiney moan, like a drunken dog who was begging for snacks or a walk.

"What's wrong Sheldon?" I whispered, even though we remained the only people in the apartment.

"You have to help me get dressed into my pyjamas." I stared him down, trying to tell if he meant it, he wasn't the double meaning kind of guy.

"Are you serious?" I whispered loudly. He nodded, pointing to his closet where I would find his clothes, he started lifting his shirt over his head but in his drunken state got stuck and started panicking.

"Stop moving and let me help." I scolded him, he dropped his arms and let me pull the shirt over his head, then I had to move the other shirt as well. Without even thinking about it I started unzipping his pants, I stopped before I didn't anything else as soon as I realised what I was doing. I shook my head, standing up, I turned to leave, telling Sheldon he was just going to have to dress himself, but his hand on my arm stopped me. He asked if I could help him one more time after he tried himself and almost fell over. He told me I wasn't allowed to look, however tempted I might have been, I didn't. I looked away as I pulled his pants off and picked up his pyjamas and slipped the bottoms on.

That's when I really started feeling dizzy, I stood up suddenly, holding my head in my hands, as if that was going to stop the thumping and spinning, I fell back onto the bed where Sheldon, uncomfortably, tried to keep me awake, asking me questions that even he couldn't answer in his intoxicated condition. I couldn't remember where I fell asleep, if I was with anyone or alone. I didn't remember getting dressed or undressed, walking across the hall or staying in Sheldon's bed. The thumping in my head is what brought me to the next morning, and face to face with a new problem, which had nothing to do with a hangover or what my mother thought of me leaving home and coming to Pasadena. This was a problem that no girl wanted to have, especially when she lived across the hall from it.

…...TBC…...


End file.
